Containers for holding and dispensing water soluble strips for various applications, (including but not limited to oral care, medicinal and/or vitamin dosing, dispensing of personal hygiene and/or grooming products, water miscible cosmetic products, and candy and/or food products) are also well known. Such strips are commonly packaged in containers with access doors, which force the user to open the door with one hand while holding the container with the other, to reach into the container and grasp the topmost strip from the stack, to insert that strip into the mouth by hand, and to re-close the container door. Besides the number of actions that such containers require, such a procedure can lead to the contamination of strips by the insertion of dirty fingers into the container. To dispense a strip to someone other than the owner of the package, either the owner's fingers must touch the guest's strip, potentially contaminating it, or the guest's fingers must enter the owner's package, potentially contaminating the remaining strips. Additionally, the need for the use of both hands to dispense the strip can be troublesome while doing such activities as driving a car or when both hands are not free. Further, it is common to forget to close the container, thereby subjecting the remaining strips to further contamination.
There exists therefore a need for a dispensing container for water soluble strips that provides for a sanitary and less tedious dispensing procedure.
In particular, there is the need for a container that allows for the dispensing of a single strip from the container into the other hand without the need to insert any fingers into the container.
Additionally, there is the need for a container that allows for the dispensing of a single strip directly into the mouth with the use of only one hand and without the need to insert any fingers into the mouth.
Additionally, there is the need for a container that allows for reliable dispensing of one and only one strip per actuation, to serve as a dose-regulating container for medicinal strips.
Additionally, there is the need for a self-closing container.
Such needs are all fulfilled by a self-closing single strip dispensing container in accordance with the present invention.